Mail-pouch-transferring apparatus.



, J. W. PEPPLE.

MAIL POUCH TRANSFERRING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 11113.8, 1909.

942,21 4. Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. w. PE PPLE.

MAIL rouon TRANSFERRING APPARATUS. A

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8. 1909. 942,2 14, Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I fti/ :9 K 615 :36 L

' [iii/672302 g7o'7zrz WFep vZe/ UNTTD STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

MAIL-POUCH-TRANSFERRING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Application filed March 8, 1909. Serial N 0. 482,167.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OI-IN W. PEPPLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hillsboro, in the county of Hilland State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Pouch-Transferring Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail pouch transferring apparatuses and as such comprises generally a crane having means to receive a mail pouch from a moving train and having means to support a mail pouch for delivery to said train, and cooperating devices on the train consisting of means for receiving a mail pouch from the crane and means for sup porting a mail pouch to be delivered to the receiving means on the crane.

Mail pouch transferring apparatuses answering the above general description are well known in the art but in a great number of such apparatuses the parts of the crane have to be adjusted from one position to another in accordance with the direction in which the train is movingand this is objectionable because the adjustments are sometimes carelessly or wrongly made and the apparatus will not serve its purposes and because the provision of adjustable connections between the parts upon which the greatest stress is placed causes the weakening of such parts after a considerable period of use. It is, therefore, a desideratum that the necessity for adjusting the parts of thecrane inaccordance with the direction in which the train may be moving be dispensed with and this is attained in the present invention, the primary object of which is to provide a novel construction of cooperating parts which do not require to be adjustedto different positions for use in connection with the trains moving in different directions.

A further object of the invention is to provide mail pouch receiving and supporting devices for use on the train which embody novel features of construction and arrangement and more particularly an improved form of self-locking main bar which carries the pouch support and receiver and which is normally held against movement outwardly from the car, and an improved connection between said main bar and the pouch supporting and receiving devices carried theremoved to a position within the car.

The invention has as a further object the provision of a novel crane construction in which the pouch supporting device is capable of yielding when the bag held thereby is engaged .by the receiver on the car, undue stress and wear being thus avoided.

The details of structure will be set forth at length in the following description which is to be read in connection with the annexed drawings, the latter illustrating a preferred and advantageous embodiment of the inven' tion.

The novel features of the invention will be set forth in language of the proper determinative scope in the claims appended at the end of the specification.

In the said drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail pouch transferring apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the mail crane. Fig. 3 is a transverse horizontalseo tion on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the relation between the crane and the car devices prior to the transferring operation. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the relation between the crane and the car devices subsequent to the transferring operation. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating the self-locking handle of the main bar. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View illustrating the connections be tween the main bar and the pouch receiving and supporting devices carried thereby, and Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View illustrating the pivotal connection on the main bar.

Similar characters of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The crane is indicated generally by the letter A and the car by the letter B.

The crane comprises a post, as 1, supported upon a suitable platform, as 2, and carrying a mail pouch receiving device, as 3, and a mail pouch supporting device, as 4. The receiving device 3 comprises a horizontal steel bar, as 5, which is rigidly secured at a central point to the post 1 by a suitable clip 6, the latter having a flat sided pocket 7 through which the bar 5 extends and the portion of the bar 5 which is confined with the pocket 7 being preferably of flat sided cross section.

by, whereby the latter may be independently The clip 6 is secured by bolts to a wear plate 8 and holds the bar 5 against axial or turning movement. The said bar is provided at its ends with outwardly opening hooks, as 9, the latter constituting the mail pouch receiving means. Obviously one hook has operation to strip a mail pouch from a car moving in one direction and the other hook has operation to strip the mail pouch from a car moving in the opposite direction. It will be observed that the bar 5 is rigidly held and is non-adjustable. This renders it impossible for the operator to make any mistake in positioning the mail pouch receiving hooks.

Associated with the post 1 is a mail pouch supporting device designated generally 10 and comprising a vertical bar 11 having at its ends outwardly projecting alined arms, as 12, which extend through the rings of a mail pouch to be delivered to the car. The bar 11 seats in a groove, as 13, which is formed in the post 1 and which terminates at its ends in divergent branches, as 14, to

receive the arms 41 upon the movement of the device 10 pivotally in either direction. The bar 11 is journaled in suitable bearings, as 15, which are provided at the ends of threaded stems, as 16, the latter being held by nuts, as 17, which are tightened against the rear face of the post 1. The device 10 is shown in its operative position in Figs. 1 and 41 and in such position the arms 12 extend at right angles with respect to the bar 5. Means are provided for holding the device 10 against movement from its operative position and such means preferably comprise a spring strap, as 18, and a finger, as 19, provided upon the bar 11 and with which said strap cotiperates. The strap 18 is held to the post 1 by bolts 20 and the finger 19 is fast upon the bar 11 and when the device 10 is in its operative position the finger 19 engages in the central notch formed in the strap 18, as shown more particularly in Fig. 8. By virtue of such engagement the device 10 is held by friction against accidental displacement in either direction, such as would ordinarily be caused by wind pressure upon the mail pouch held between the arms 4:. I

Referring to Figs. at, 5, 6 and 7, it will be observed that a main bar, as 21, is pivoted on the outside of the car B. Such bar is preferably in the form of a steel tube and at its inner end is threaded into a yoke, as 22, the latter having openings, as 23, to fit over hinge stems 24 provided on a bracket, as 25, which is secured to the car. By virtue of this construction the bar 21 may be readily removed from the car and as readily replaced thereon when it is so desired. The bar 21 carries at its outer end a casting, as 26, which is formed with a rearwardly directed hook, as 27, and with two angularly extended and divergently related vertically alined arms, as 28. The hook 27 constitutes the receiver for stripping the mail bag from the device 10 and the arms 28 constitute the support for the mail bag to be delivered to the crane and engaged by either of the hooks 9.

lVhile I have stated that the device 26 is a casting, it will. be obvious that other modes of construction may be employed if desired, the essential feature of this device being the relation between the hook 27 and the arms 28.

In order that the bar 21 may be readily moved in its pivot toward and away from the car, an operating device designated gen erally as 29, has been provided, such device comprising a handle member, as 30, and a link, as 31, to which the handle member is pivoted, the said link being in turn carried by a sleeve 32 which is held fast upon the bar 21. The handle member 30 projects through the sleeve 33 fixed in the wall of the car B and within the car terminates in an end grip 3 1. hen the bar 21 is in its innermost position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the handle member 30 drops by gravity and thus locks the bar against accidental outward movement. In this manner the self-locking action of the handle to which reference has been made, is accomplished. hen it is desired to move the bar 21 outwardly, the handle member 30 is raised to a horizontal position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6 and is thrust outwardly through the sleeve 83, the bar 21 being then positioned as shown in Fig. 4.

As previously intimated, the combined pouch engaging and supporting device is movably related to the bar 21 and the connection between said device and said bar is best shown in Fig. 7 in which it will be observed that a shank, as 35, extends inwardly over the arms 28 and the hook 27 and is pivoted to a link 36, the latter being in turn pivoted to the bar 21. By virtue of this arrangement, after the transferring operation, the bar 21 may be moved toward the car, as shown in Fig. 5, and the device 26 may be swung into the car and the mail pouch held by the hook 27, removed from said hook within the car.

It should be stated that the car B is provided with an opening Z) through which the device 26 may be moved and that said opening may be closed by a door 6 \Vhen the device 26 is within the ear the link 36 projects through the opening 7). For the purpose of holding the device 26 in extended relation to the bar 21, a sleeve 37 is provided. Said sleeve surrounds the bar 21 and may he moved axially in either direction, its movement in one direction being limited by the sleeve 32 as a stop and its movement in the opposite direction being limited by a shoulder 38 provided on the shank 35. It will be apparent that when the device 26 and the link 36 have been moved to extended positions the sleeve 37 is moved until it engages the shoulder 88, in which position it surrounds said link and the pivoted part of the shank 35 and maintains the parts in their extended relation.

In the use of the apparatus, a mail pouch is placed upon the device 10 and the latter is positioned, as shown in Fig. 4, that is, with the arms 12 projecting at right angles with respect to the bar 5. The bar 21 is moved to its outermost position and the mail pouch is also placed upon the arms 28. As the car moves past the crane the hook 27 engages the mail pouch held by the device 10 and strips the same from said device and one of the hooks 9 engages the mail pouch held by the arms 28 and strips the same from said arms. This action will be clearly apparent from an inspection of Fig. 4, in which the car is shown as moving toward the right and in which the left hand hook 9 will strip the mail pouch from the arms 28. Obviously, when the car moves toward the left the right hand hook 9 will perform this operation. When the hook 27 engages the mail pouch held by the arms 12 it will cause the device 10 to move pivotally on the bar 11 as a center, the spring strap 18 yielding to permit such movement, but having sufficient force ordinarily to prevent the pivotal movement of the device 10. After the transferring operation has been accomplished in the manner stated, the bar 21 is drawn toward the car and the device 26 is shifted to a position within the car to allow of the pouch being removed from the hook 27.

It has already been pointed out that the parts of the mail crane will have operation in connection with trains moving in either direction without any adjustments of the positions of said parts being made, and this is also true of the devices carried by the car. Consequently it is impossible to place a bag to be transferred upon a wrong part and the elimination of adjustable'parts materially adds tothe strength and consequently prolongs the life of the apparatus.

The bar 21 is so proportioned that when it is extended, the mail pouch to be delivered will be held about four feet from the side of the car. The crane and its adjuncts are of course about the same distance from the car. This arrangement obviously provides for the transferring operations at a safe distance from the car and consequently assures of the safety of the attendants within the car who cannot possibly put any parts of their bodies in the path of the cooperating arms and hooks.

The mechanisms are of the simplest possible construction and are inexpensive to manufacture, strong, eflicient in use, and readily set up or dismantled.

Having fully described my invention, I claim: I

1. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar carried upon the mail car and mounted to stand out horizontally therefrom, a member movably associated with said bar and having one position when the bar is extended and another position when the bar is retracted, mail pouch catching means carried by said member and mail pouch holding means carried by said member.

2. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a supporting bar carried by the mail car and mounted to stand out horizontally therefrom, a member pivotally mounted upon said bar and having an extended position with relation to the bar when the latter stands out from the car and having an angular position with relation to the bar when the latter is moved close to the car, means carried by said member and forming an element of mail pouch trans ferring means, and means for holding said member in extended position with relation to said bar.

3. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar carried upon the mail car and mounted to stand out horizontally therefrom, a link pivoted at the end of said main bar, a member pivoted to said link, mail pouch catching means carried by said member, mail pouch holding means carried by said member, and a sleeve slidably mounted on said main bar and movable to a position to surround said member and said link and to hold the same in extended position with relation to said bar.

4. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar movably mounted upon the mail car, mail pouch transferring means associated with said main bar, and handle means for the main bar and operating automatically to hold said main bar against movement from its innermost position.

5. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar movably carried upon the mail car, mail pouch transferring means associated with said main bar, an operating means for the main bar, comprising a pivotal handle member, the mail car having an opening in its side wall through which said handle member extends, the handle member having automatic operation when the main bar is in its innermost position to hold the same against outward movement.

6. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar pivotally mounted upon the mail car, mail pouch transferring means associated with said main bar, a link carried by the main bar and a handle member pivoted to the link, the mail car having an opening in its side wall through which the handle member projects.

7 In a mail pouch deliverying and receiving apparatus, a mail crane, including a post and a mail pouch supporting device pivotally mounted on the post and comprising a vertical pivot bar having mail pouch supporting arms projecting from its ends, a projecting finger fast on said bar and a fiat spring having a notch to receive said finger.

8. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, a crane, including a post having a vertical groove and a mail pouch supporting device comprising a bar pivotally mounted in said groove and having a projecting mail pouch supporting arm, said groove having opposite extensions in which said arm engages in the movement thereof in either direction.

9. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, a mail crane, including a post having a vertical groove terminating at its ends in divergent extensions and a mail pouch supporting device comprising a bar pivotally mounted in said groove and formed at its ends with projecting mail pouch supporting arms arranged to engage in either of the extensions of said groove in accordance with the movement of said device to one side or the other of said post.

10. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a movably mounted main bar having an operative and an inoperative position, and handle means for operating said main bar and having means associated therewith for automatically holding said main bar against movement from its inoperative position.

11. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a main bar pivotally mounted upon a car and having a rearwardly directed hook and a pair of vertically alined arms projecting oppositely from said hook and forwardly of said main bar, and a crane having mail pouch supporting means cooperating with said hook, the latter stripping the mail pouch from said support-ing means, and mail pouch receiving means cooperating with said arms for stripping the mail pouch therefrom.

12. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, in combination, a mail crane including a post, a vertical bar pivoted thereon and having an outwardly projecting horizontal supporting arm, and yieldable means for holding said bar against accidental pivotal displacement from a position with its arm projecting forwardly from said post.

13. In a mail pouch delivering and recciving apparatus, in combination, an extensible main bar carried upon the mail car, a pivoted mail pouch tansferring element carried upon the bar and a movable member for locking the element against movement from its extended position with respect to the bar.

14:. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, an extensible main bar carried upon the mail car and a pivotally extensible mail pouch transferring element associated with the bar.

15. In a mail pouch delivering and receiving apparatus, the combination with an extensible arm which is carried by the car and may be caused to stand out therefrom, and mail pouch supporting means provided on the arm, of a crane comprising a post, a horizontal bar rigidly secured thereto and oppositely directed mail pouch receiving means arranged at the ends of the bar to strip the mail pouch from the supporting means, one of said receiving means being operative upon the travel of the train in one direction and the other of said receiving means being operative upon the travel of the train in an opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN T. PEPPLE.

"Witnesses R. H. KAY, O. E. OASSIDY. 

